how do you sleep?

[forumyonly1]

I mean in what position do you sleep? i was sleeping on my sides but now that is extremely painful.. i hve tried being propped up with pillows but that hurts my back... so.. what do i try next?!

[Chloe'sMama]

I am pretty lucky, I still sleep almost on my stomach, with my top leg either all the way to the bed, or just on a small pillow. With DD, I had to have a body pillow under the top leg and a big pillow behind my back (still on my side though).

With both pregnancies, I have to flip about every 30 min to 1 hour to keep my hips from aching too much.

[L J]

I sleep with one of those Boppy pregnancy pillows under me, where it pretty much feels like sleeping on my belly. I would prefer to sleep on my back, and I do wake up that way sometimes, but I feel guilty, like I'm doing something wrong, if I lay that way intentionally.

Laying on my side, with a body pillow between my knees and against my belly, and a small throw pillow wedged under my back was the only way I could sleep without pain during my last pregnancy.

[jenifera2]

Mostly on my side with a body pillow between my knees. Like Chloe's Mama I switch sides about every hour, but even then I sometimes wake up nearly in tears from the hip pain. When that happens I move to my recliner for an hour or so until that gets too uncomfortable, then I head back to bed and start the cycle over again.

[Baby~Braatens~Mama]

I lay on my sides, and have to switch sides often as well. Occasionally I wake up on my belly, or on my back, and I feel a little guilty about it so switch right away. We have one of those feather mattresses on top of our bed, and a fitted feathered mattress cover on top of that. There is a nice probably permanent indentation where I sleep, where the feathers have pushed themselves up into a personalized, comfy, body fitting pillows. I may HATE this after baby is here... but it has been wonderfull destroying them during the pregnancy.

Maybe you could get a couple body pillows, one for each side. You could wrap yourself around them and get the pressure off your hips... The have those mommy sized maternity pillows, but they looked pricey.

I sure hope you find a comfy way to rest so that you can be refreshed and ready for the sleepless nights with your LO during your baby moon!

[MaerynPearl]

On my stomach with various pillows arranged various ways to make it comfortable... different arrangement all the time.

[lotusma]

just an fyi, reclined positions aren't recommended in later stages of pregnancy because it can interferre w/ optimal fetal positioning. (i think info might be on that spinning babies website, maybe...)

afm @ 34 weeks, i flip flop from side to side--trying for the left side ideally, w/ a pillow between my knees/legs/feet. i miss miss miss laying on my belly but if babe senses in the slightest that i'm nearing the belly position (as chloe described) she kicks up a storm. (of which freaks me out!)

[Laurski]

Mostly on my left side, with pillows between my feet and legs (and one to sort of "hug" to keep my body aligned). Sometimes on my back, with my feet and lower legs up on pillows and a goodly amount of pillows behind my back/head. I used to feel guilty about laying on my back, but not only is that my preferred sleeping position when I'm not pregnant, I read in a few places (I can't remember where now) that if there was really too much pressure on the vena cava, I'd wake up before it became an issue for baby. So, I figure a rested mama is better than a miserable exhausted mama.

I generally have to switch positions about every hour or so also, in order to avoid hip pain (which laying on my right side seems to exacerbate much more than on my left side...).

[MacKinnon]

I'm partially on my back/side-ish, with a pillow under my belly and a wedge of pillows under my back to keep from laying flat. Or, I'm as far over on my stomach as I can be, with a series of pillows to keep me comfy-ish. I can usually get in a few solid good hours, like midnight or 1 to 3-ish, but that's the only long comfortable stretch.

[bethanta]

I've been so exhausted lately that I try to get into a good position and then I pass out. So when I wake up in the morning everything hurts (no I don't sleep all the way through the night, but I don't change positions enough to avoid the pain) I sleep on my side with 4 pillows, 2 between my legs, one in front of my belly to rest my arm on, and one under my head. I still get lots of hip pain and I'm not sure what else to do...

[forumyonly1]

thanks ladies! It sounds like my side sleeping positions are basically the only way to go.. i'm just going to have to deal with the hip pain.. lol

does it take a minute or two to roll from one side to the other? i wake up every 1-2 hours to switch sides (other than last night when i tried that supported sitting/reclining position...) but it still takes a minute or two to get completely turned over!

is it normal to feel sharp pains in the cervix when laying on your side?!

i didn't know the reclining postion was bad to sleep in what other things should i avoid for optimal positioning for baby?!

[Honey693]

Originally Posted by forumyonly1

does it take a minute or two to roll from one side to the other? i wake up every 1-2 hours to switch sides (other than last night when i tried that supported sitting/reclining position...) but it still takes a minute or two to get completely turned over!

It usually takes a minute and some vocalization before I can heave myself over lol.

[forumyonly1]

oh good! lol my dh works nights so i don't hold back the the "vocolization" as you put it! but it's pretty sad when he has the night off and is working on and runs in asking if i'm ok.. lol ah.. good times!

[Pippi L.]

BADLY!!

Okay, I know that's not what you mean I sleep on my side with a pillow between my legs and one kind of under the edge of my belly for support. I sleep on top of my comforter because it makes it slightly easier on my hips (although that trick works less and less as time goes on). I turn constantly from my left to right side because my back and hips start to hurt and I stretch every time I get up to use the bathroom.

Last pregnancy I slept like a log and I could actually sleep on my back. I had no need for extra pillows. I don't think there's anything dangerous or bad about any position you're comfortable in. If it's detrimental to the baby you'd be too uncomfortable to stay in it.

[MsDolphin]

I mostly sleep on my left side, because that's what I believe it best for baby. I prefer to sleep on my right side. Sometimes I do sleep on my right side, if I just can't get comfortable on the left.

I can't wait to sleep on my stomach again!

[mommy2chloerae]

I am on either side with a pillow either between my legs, right next to my back, or in front of me (so I'm partly on the pillow/my tummy, partly on my back).

I wake up to change positions every couple hours.

[LovnMyBoys]

I've been aiming for a tunny down position using my snoogle pillow to make a nestfor my tummy. That is supposedto help turn this posterior babe. I start there until I'm too uncomfy, switch to left side and then to right if needed. then the process starts all over again. And yes, it is sad how much effort the turning takes.

[tribord]

Luckily I've always been a side sleeper so I still do that for the most part. I like to switch sides as well but from 1am onwards DD is usually in our bed and smooshed up right against me so unless I want to wake her up I kind of am stuck in one position.

Lovn- I will have to try and make a nest like that b/c this baby is posterior, too, and I was wondering if there was something I could do while sleeping to turn him since (like everyone else I'm sure) I don't really have 2 hours a day to crawl around on my hands and knees.